1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to refrigerators and more particularly to a refrigerator having a separate container or compartment therein to be chilled below the temperature of the remainder of the refrigerator compartment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Separately cooled containers or compartments are utilized in refrigerators for the storage of various food items. U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,905 describes a food drawer 55 which comprises a high humidity compartment that is slidable in and out of a portion of the refrigerator compartment and is chilled by subfreezing air ducted into a sleeve spaced around the side, rear and bottom walls of the drawer. The air is prevented from entering the interior of the drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,945 describes a refrigerator having a meat keeper pan 20 that has a flow of cold air directed around it. The drawer is covered to prevent any circulation of air within the fresh food compartment 5 from tending to dry out the food items maintained in the meat keeper pan 20.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,429 discloses a refrigerator-freezer with a fast chill space in the upper portion of the refrigerator compartment which utilizes an auxiliary fan to draw sub-freezing air into the refrigerator compartment to cool the fast chill space.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,694 discloses a refrigerator apparatus which includes a storage compartment having side and bottom walls in the form of an enclosing hollow jacket together with conduit for directing chilled air to the hollow interior of the jacket for flow of chilled air into the jacket so that material stored in the compartment will be maintained in a chilled condition by the heat conducting walls of the jacket without direct contact of the chilled air with the material.
Applicants have found that presently available chilled compartments have a wide degree of temperature variation throughout their volume which leads to inconsistant food storage results. Thus, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a chilled compartment for a refrigerator that maintains a minimal temperature gradient throughout its volume.